320GB 7200rpm vs. 500GB 5400rpm

[aaquib]

Now, I am in the market to replace my stock 160GB HDD in my MB, as I want a bigger hard drive in my PS3 and was thinking I could put the MB one in there, and buy a larger one for the MB.

I am debating between a 320GB 7200rpm and a 500gbrpm drive. I currently have this external drive:

http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-ST302504FDA1E1-RK-FreeAgent-Desktop-External/dp/B000NDBRJC

I HATE it. It takes a super long time to start up(close to 3-4 minutes) and then opening up videos takes a good 2-3 seconds. But, I have a 5400rpm drive inside the MacBook and was wondering if 7200rpm with 16mb cache would really make a significant difference in day-to-day use.

What would you go for?

 

[mcavjame]

When I got my Macbook a year and a half ago, the first thing I replaced was the HDD. Drive speed is one of the bottlenecks in your machine and I certainly notice the laptop runs faster with the 7200 rpm drive and 4GB of RAM.

My wife opted to stay with a 5400 rpm drive. Even though her machine is a newer model than mine, apps open quicker and there is less stutter with my machine.

 

[errol]

500gb 7200RPM 2.5" drives are right around the corner if you can wait. I agree though, get 7200RPM.

 

[mcavjame]

500gb 7200RPM 2.5" drives are right around the corner if you can wait. I agree though, get 7200RPM.

Yeah, but the 320 7200 rpm is relatively cheap and s/he would get the performance now. Here is a listing from one of my favorite canadian vendors, directcanada.com

 

[pinback pro]

better price with rebate:
http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=208292236

 

[aaquib]

better price with rebate:
http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=208292236

We have boxing day here in Canada and here is the best deal I could find:

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4008610&CatId=1277

Anyone think I should go for it? They have a store just a couple of minutes away from where I live, so it'd be the most convenient for me.

 

[mcavjame]

Anyone think I should go for it? They have a store just a couple of minutes away from where I live, so it'd be the most convenient for me.

The Travelstar is the drive I have and it has worked great. The only hitch is how you will transfer data. I have SATA docking station for replicating HDDs with carbon copy cloner (or any similar utility). Otherwise you have to back up your data to restore after the new drive is installed.

 

[alphaod]

Been using a 500GB 5400RPM drive for 7 months now and it's pretty zippy.

 

[maverick808]

If it matters to you then you should note that a 5400RPM drive will likely be considerably quieter than a 7200RPM.

I had a 320GB, 7200RPM drive in my MacBook but I replaced it with a 320GB, 5400RPM because it is sooooo much quieter. Yes it is ever so slightly slower, but the difference in speed is negligible whereas the difference in sound is substantial.

 

[sushi]

Personally, I prefer space over speed so I would go with the 5400 rpm 500GB HD over the faster 320GB HD.

 

[pinback pro]

since you have an external, i would got with a 7200 rpm drive. i just installed mine last night, WD 320gb 7k rpm, it is WICKED fast. you'll be blown away. negligible temp difference. like 2-4 degrees F. its awesome to see the boot time nearly cut in half. and loading several apps at once is so cool. photoshop cs3 loads in prolly 1/3 the time it used to with the 120gb 5400 rpm drive.

 

[paduck]

You seem to answer the question yourself when you stated how important speed was for you - go with the 7200rpm if performance is the most important variable.

However, the downside to the increased performance is smaller size, more heat, more energy used, and louder.

Other people will have different answer, based on their requirements.

 

[CrackedButter]

500gb 7200RPM 2.5" drives are right around the corner if you can wait. I agree though, get 7200RPM.

How soon around the corner though? I bought a 320GB Scorpio as a stop gap and I have 70GB left to last me probably a month.